| Notes |
- William James Stewart was born in 1889 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as the eldest son of Albert Duncan Stewart, an industrial carriage painter and Sarah Hughes. He was named after his maternal grandfather, William James Hughes.
In 1901, William was residing in Toronto West, Ontario, Canada, as a boy with his parents and siblins.
In 1910, at the time of his marriage to Ethel Leah Huff, William was residing in Toronto and employed as a bookkeeper.
In 1911, at the time of the birth of his first child, William was residing in Toronto and employed as a bookkeeper.
In 1921, William was residing in Dresden, Lambton County, Ontario, Canada, with his wife, Ethel L Stewart, and his first three children, Ethel, Marion, and Ruth. He was employed as a manager on a farm. His wife was born in nearby Camden or Bothwell.
In 1924, William was elected alderman for Ward 5 in the City of Toronto.
In 1931, William was elected Mayor of the City of Toronto.
In 1933, William was one of the podium dignitaries at the grand opening of Maple Leaf Gardens.
In January 1935, William was awarded the designation of Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in honour of his service as Mayor of Toronto.
"William James Stewart CBE (February 13, 1889 - September 18, 1969) was a Canadian politician. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. Stewart also owned and operated the Bates and Dodds Funeral Home on Queen Street West in Toronto.
"He was born in Toronto and first worked as an office boy at a bicycle shop. His education largely consisted of evening courses taken at Shaw Business School in Toronto.
"Stewart was alderman for Ward 5 in Toronto from 1924 to 1931. He defeated former mayor Sam McBride, who was attempting to return to office, in the 1931 mayoral election and served as Mayor of Toronto from 1931 until 1934. Stewart was the first mayor to use regular radio broadcasts to keep Toronto citizens informed. He also pushed for the restoration of Fort York, which was re-opened in 1934. He entered provincial politics in 1936 when he ran for the leadership of the Ontario Conservative Party. He came in third place behind Earl Rowe and George Drew. He was elected in a by-election on October 5, 1938 as Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Parkdale in Toronto's west end.
"Stewart also owned and operated the Bates And Dodds Funeral Home at 931 Queen Street West at Strachan Avenue.
"Following the 1943 election that brought George Drew's Tories to power, Stewart became Speaker of the legislature, a difficult task as the Progressive Conservatives (as they were known by then) had only a minority government. He was reappointed Speaker following the 1945 election until he suddenly resigned in March 1947 to become a backbench Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP). Farquhar Oliver, leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, introduced a motion that the assembly refuse to accept the resignation of Stewart but this motion was ruled out of order.
"Stewart became a backbencher and went on to serve on various committees, serving as Chairman of the Select Committee on Reform Institutions from 1953 to 1955.[2] Stewart served until 1948 when he lost to CCF candidate Lloyd Fell. He regained his seat in the 1951 provincial election. He remained a member of the legislature until the 1959 election when his Parkdale seat was won by a Liberal and he left politics.
"He served briefly as a member of the Ontario Parole Board in 1960 but found the position too strenuous. Stewart was named chairman of the Toronto Historical Board the following year. He died in Toronto eight years later.[1]
"The Stewart Building on College Street bears his name." (Wikipedia)
"One of his greatest accomplishments was in spearheading the building of Sunnybrook Hospital for injured war veterans. In 1961 he was appointed chairman of the Toronto Historical Board and held the position until he passed away on September 18, 1969. W. J. Stewart was a past master of L.O.L. (Loyal Orange Lodge) No. 657 and also held membership in L.O.L. No. 3271." (urbantoronto.ca)
"The riot at Christie Pits (16 August 1933 in Toronto, Ontar) was a sign that Canada had a serious problem with race relations in general and anti-Semitism in particular. Due to the unprecedented level of violence, Toronto mayor William James Stewart promised to prosecute future displays of the swastikas. This was one of Canada’s first policies prohibiting hate speech." (https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/christie-pits-riot)
One of William James Stewart's grandsons, author Ted Staunton, has produced a graphic novel telling the story of the Christie Pits Riot. (https://www.sesayarts.com/the-good-fight/)
A plaque in his honour at Fort York in Toronto reads:
"A lifelong citizen of Toronto, William James Stewart devoted most of his life to public service. He served as alderman, 1924-30, and as mayor 1931-34. During his tenure as mayor he was instrumental in restoring Fort York to commemorate the city's centennial in 1934.
Elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1938, he served until 1959, and for four years was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. A strong supporter of the militia, he joined the Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) and was for fifteen years its honorary colonel.
He was active in numerous church, fraternal and charitable organizations, and served as chairman of the Toronto Historical Board from 1961 until his death."
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